Road Control ( uk, Дорожній Контроль, ДК, Dorozhniy Kontrol, DK, russian: Дорожный Контроль, ДК, Dorozhnyy Kontrol', DK) is a non-governmental organization in Ukraine advocating for road safety, transparency of road police, and human rights. Road Control was founded in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

(Ukraine) in 2008 as a reflection of the increasing level of irresponsibility among many road police officers in Ukraine. The main goal of Road Control is to eliminate the

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

, criminal and other types of Ukrainian road police ( uk, ДАІ AI

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

: ГАИ AI

misconduct Misconduct is wrongful, improper, or unlawful conduct motivated by premeditated or intentional purpose or by obstinate indifference to the consequences of one's acts. It is an act which is forbidden or a failure to do that which is required. Misc ...

activities against car-drivers and pedestrians in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

Activity

To achieve their aims, Road Control activists make video documentation of DAI’s offence activity, uploaded the video to the

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

making it available to the public. Moreover, such video is subsequently used as a significant evidence to initiate administrative or criminal trials. On the other hand, such video along with comments from the Road Control activists is used as an educational source for drivers against the DAI lawlessness. A newspaper (sharing the same name as the organization) was founded and is published by Road Control.

Criminals vs. Road Control members

Due to their activity, vehicles of Road Control activists were targets for

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

. In March 2012 a chairperson of Road Control, Rostislav Shaposhnikov was kidnapped and heavily beaten in the forest near Kyiv City by unknown people, who were acting by DAI orders as he suspected. All these cases were reported to police, but the criminals were never identified. To support Rostislav and to protest against police inactivity, a demonstration took place at the

Ministry of Internal affairs of Ukraine The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine ( uk, Міністерство внутрішніх справ України, Ministerstvo vnutrishnikh sprav Ukrainy, MVS) is the ministry of the Ukrainian government that oversees the interior aff ...

Involvement in Euromaidan

In late 2013, activists from Road Control became active participants of

Euromaidan Euromaidan (; uk, Євромайдан, translit=Yevromaidan, lit=Euro Square, ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protes ...

, and relations with law enforcement agencies, which served the

Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych ( uk, Віктор Федорович Янукович, ; ; born 9 July 1950) is a former politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine The president of Ukraine ( uk, Президент Украї� ...

government, became extremely tense, with reports of threats being sent to Road Control. On 11 December 2013, the head of "Road Control" Rostyslav Shaposhnikov, due to the threat of arrest and danger to his life, left for Poland. They arrested Andrii Dzindzu and Viktor Smaliy, they said I would be the third. In an interview with Ukrainian media, Shaposhnikov stated: “They didn't have time to arrest me because I left.” Shaposhnikov also stated that he did not intend to return to Ukraine while the Yanukovych government remained in power, due to the threats on his life made. On 21 December 2013, unknown attackers, believed to be from the Yanukovych government, shot Volodymyr Maralov, a "Road Control" activist, and burned his car. They had PM combat pistols and were professionally trained.

References

External links

Official web page of Road Control
{{Euromaidan Political organizations based in Ukraine Human rights organizations based in Ukraine Newspapers published in Ukraine Nonviolent resistance movements Euromaidan